Let the 74th Annual Hunger Games Begin
by Fantasy Fangirl 32
Summary: 'I knew what I had to do then. To save my brother. My Nii-san. "I volunteer!" I shouted. "I volunteer as tribute!"' Hiro- in order to save his brother, volunteers to be district 12's tribute in the Hunger Games. Alongside him is Gogo- who he and Tadashi have pretended is their sister for years. And now only one of them can make it back. So who will? T for obvious reasons
1. The Reaping

**Author's note: Apparently this isn't the first BH6/Hunger Games crossover. Yay! I checked the website, and there is one, but I decided I would write my own. Anyways, huge thanks to all reviewers! Enjoy!**

 **Hiro's POV**

I woke up with the distinct feeling that something was wrong. At first, it evaded me. It was a beautiful day. May it was the lack of Tadashi's comforting presence, but I knew where he'd be. Probably out in the woods hunting with his friend. Well, that was a bit of a stretch…

I never knew what to think of Tadashi's 'friend'. She gave me the impression that if she wanted to, she could put a knife, arrow, axe, sharp item, anything she got her hands on, through my head and not feel bad about it even for a second. She somehow survived on her own. Technically, she shouldn't have been allowed to, but Tadashi protected her by pretending she was our sister sometimes. I can't even count the number of times I'd come home to find her sitting in the kitchen, talking quietly with Tadashi. They tried to avoid it as much as they could. She made our parents nervous. She made me nervous enough as it was. And I knew she wouldn't hurt me.

Then again, there were times when I wasn't sure. Like the night she and Tadashi had gotten into a fight. Tadashi had broken her arm. She had given him a black eye and dislocated his shoulder. After that, I had taken to hiding whenever she was around. I didn't want to run into her. I think Tadashi was the only person in the entire district that wasn't either afraid or mistrusting of her.

A minute later I heard footsteps, and then Tadashi was standing beside me.

"Hey bro."

"Morning 'Dashi…" I muttered.

"Tired?" he asked, smiling and ruffling my hair.

I batted his hand away. "Yeah… don't touch my hair…"

Tadashi smiled and laughed, helping me out of bed. Again, I felt that feeling of wrongness.

"Tadashi, is she here?" I asked, glancing at the small hallway that led to our kitchen.

He nodded.

"Can you make her leave…?"

Tadashi sighed. "Hiro, you know she's perfectly safe. She's my friend. But yeah, if you want."

A minute later, he had disappeared down the hallway. I heard Tadashi talking to her, then the door closing. She must have left.

I came into the kitchen, to find that I was right. My mom and dad were up, talking over our meager breakfast of grains. There was some meat too- Tadashi would have brought that in from hunting. I always told him he shouldn't- it was technically illegal- but he did it anyways.

Mom and dad looked troubled. Maybe they felt the wrongness that I did. But that would be weird. It was probably about two totally different things. That would make sense.

"Hiro," mom said, "go get dressed. The special outfit."

For a moment I was confused. Why the special outfit? What was going on today?

Then I remembered what it was. The reason things felt wrong. Today is the reaping. Where I'll have to stand by while people I know- maybe friends, maybe even my own brother- are taken away to the Hunger Games, where I get to spend about a week watching them die. It's painful, but mandatory. When I was younger, my parents managed to spare me from the bloodshed. But they can only do so much. Now that I'm 14, I have to watch it. I've made it through two years without being picked. But who knows? Maybe this year something might go wrong. I could get picked. Or Tadashi could.

The reaping was this afternoon. So only a few hours away. I'm sorry, but sleep is _important_ to human _survival_.

Both Tadashi and I got dressed in the outfits that were set aside for special occasions- like the reaping. Though why that was special, I'll never know. We watched people die. That wasn't special- not in the slightest.

We made it down to the square before it started. There was a roped off section, which we entered. I look around for her- Tadashi's friend- but didn't find her. Until Tadashi pulled me forwards to the front. We ended up right beside her.

She gave me a small half-smile. "Hey Hiro."

"Hey Gogo…"

"How are you doing?"

"Fine."

"Today's the day…" she shook her head. "Good luck, Hiro."

"You too."

We waited as everybody filed in. A few more people joined our section. Most of the people in the square were family, friends of family, and people too old to have to be subjected to the reaping. I had to go further back, after giving Tadashi one more hug. He was 18, and I this was his last year of being in danger. All he had to do was make it through this year, and he would be safe. Safe. He'd never have to go the Hunger Games.

I wouldn't have to see him die.


	2. The Tributes

**Author's note: A lot of the first part of this fan fiction is pre-written, so updates will come quickly in the beginning. I only have one review to answer, so I'll make it quick!**

 **Hamadabrosrule: Here's the complicated part. I'm not replacing the characters with people from BH6. I'm taking some of the essence of the characters, and putting a bit of that into the BH6 people. So as for who's Katniss- the answer is actually neither of them. For instance, Hiro volunteered as Tribute, but Gogo has the mockingjay pin. Just a small difference, but I like to make that clear from the beginning. As for Honey as a Gale character, sorry, other ideas, but a good suggestion. Tadashi is more Galeish, if you want to look at it that way. And I'm not spoiling the ending! :-o**

 **I don't know about the president snow thing. I'll have to decide that soon though, won't I? XD Baymax won't be involved for now, sorry to say.**

 **I'm really happy to answer all these questions- keep asking! But don't get in trouble. ;)**

 **I will!**

 **And the answer to your last question- Nope. Not in this case. This fan fiction has a lot more Hunger Games than BH6- pretty much the only difference is the names of people (I re-named some of the other characters for the sake of difference, and to make it more my own) and the tributes. Anyways, Thank you for the review!**

 **Gogo's POV**

I hate this ceremony. The whole _fakeness_ of it. They make us _celebrate_ it, as if it's some _honor_ to have people taken away and then killed on television for entertainment. And then the winner is treated like somebody important- somebody who actually _matters_. Just because they _killed_ people. I might not know too much, but I've heard that the winners are never the same afterwards. Probably because they have to watch people die, or worse, kill people themselves.

Seems strange that someone like me would hate killing, but I do. It's messed up to make _kids_ fight to the death on television, just so capitol freaks can laugh at us. At _that_ point, I think I _would_ be mad enough to kill somebody. Just not the people I've been pitted against.

My name's probably in there a lot. I had to enter for tesserae each month at first in order to feed myself. Before I started hunting. I still do now- only for survival, though. Then Tadashi sort of added me to their family, but I refused to let him provide anything for me. I've fended for myself for a long time. I don't need somebody else to worry about me now. So I kept taking tessera. I wasn't part of their family, not by rights. Not by blood. Just a few lies. But it was enough to keep me from being sent away to a community home. As long as the Peacekeepers believed I was a Hamada like my supposed brothers, Hiro and Tadashi, I was safe. And I _hated_ it. I've never liked depending on others for my survival. Ever, in a thousand years.

While I was waiting, reminding myself that that was my last year that I would be at risk. Then I would be safe, and could possible evade watching the reapings, somehow. Then I could freeze myself- become solid and hard on the outside. I already did that, to keep myself from crying. All I had to do was make it through this year. Then I would be alright.

Our capitol freak's name was Venicia Myrtle. I hated her- mostly because she drew the names of the tributes every year, celebrated the sacrifice of innocent kids, and made it all out to be some special occasion.

She had already given the traditional greeting, and the mayor began to read his usual Hunger-Games-is-an-honor speech. He also introduced our victors. Or, victor- singular. Diana Merrick. She was middle aged, and normally quiet and secluded. She stepped up onto the stage with a dangerous look in Venicia's direction. Then she settled into her chair, saying nothing.

Then, it was the moment of the drawings. Where we would learn who the sacrifices were.

"Ladies first!" Venicia said cheerfully, walking over to our bowl. As if it was- again- an honor to be picked for the Hunger Games. I can imagine that most of us are probably holding our breaths- especially the twelve year olds, for whom this is their first reaping. I imagine some of them wonder if it will be their last.

Venicia drew out the piece of paper. The square fell silent. Even the quiet side chatter was gone. It was time.

"Gogo Hamada."

For a minute I was confused, thrown by the unfamiliar last name. Then I realized what that meant. It was _me_.

I felt a sharp grip on my wrist, and I looked back to see Tadashi looking at me. His expression seemed to say, _I would take your place if I could._

I nodded, and broke away from him, walking up onto the stage. I was cold, and though I hated to admit it, frightened. I knew the cameras were trained on my face, so I knew better than to panic now. Strong and unbreakable. Made of stone. I had to remember that.

Venicia smiled at me as I walked up onto the stage- a smile that I didn't return. Diana nodded in my direction, then looked away, shaking her head slightly.

I watched as Venecia drew the name from the boys. Now I had to hope. It had to be somebody I didn't know- somebody I wouldn't care about killing.

She read the name. And after that, everything went wrong.

 **Hiro's POV**

"Tadashi Hamada."

My heart almost stopped beating. Onstage, I saw Gogo stiffen. Murmurs swept through the crowd. Two tributes from one family? That barely ever happened. The whispers seemed magnified around me. But they weren't about Tadashi- they were about what a coincidence it was, and _at least it isn't me_. Could none of them see that my brother- my Nii-san- was going to _die_?!

My vision tunneled. All I could see was Tadashi, heading towards the stage.

"NO!" I yelled. Then I was surging forwards, pushing people out of my way, until I reached the front. I leapt over the rope, and was at Tadashi's side in an instant. He had almost reached the stage now. I grabbed his wrist. "Tadashi, no!"

"Hiro, let go," he insisted.

I was half aware of the cameras pointed at us, but I didn't care. I just wanted Tadashi to be safe.

I tried to pull him back, but he resisted. "She's going to need somebody to keep her alive in the arena," he hissed at me. "Let _go_."

"Why you though?" I was almost crying. "Tadashi, you could be safe. You don't have to do this."

His face hardened. "I have no choice."

I knew what I had to do then. To save my brother. My Nii-san.

"I volunteer!" I shouted. "I volunteer as tribute!"

Tadashi froze. "Hiro-"

But now it was _my_ turn to push him away. I jumped up onto the stage, and came to stand next to Gogo.

"I volunteer," I said again. "I'll go instead of him."

Venicia smiled cheerfully. "Well, isn't _that_ exciting. And what's your name?"

I swallowed, getting my fear down. "Hiro… Hiro Hamada."

"Another Hamada?" She asked, still smiling. "I'm assuming that was your brother you volunteered for?"

"Yeah…" I nodded shakily.

"Well, congratulations! Everybody, let's give a hand for our tributes!"

There was no applause- and I was grateful for it. I think Gogo was too, though I didn't look at her. I worried that if I turned my head, I would start crying.

It wasn't that I was incredibly sad- I _had_ just saved my brother's _life_ \- but now I began to realize that I was putting my own life at risk.

Around then was when I felt Gogo's hand slip into my own. I had never imagined any sign of affection from her- this was the first. She gave my hand a brief squeeze, before withdrawing. It wasn't much, but I got the feeling she was nervous too. At least I wasn't alone.

I looked down into the crowd, and saw Tadashi stiffen. Then he pressed three fingers to his lips, and raised it to me. After a second, the others did the same. It surprised me, to see hundreds of people who I didn't even know doing this for me. In our district- 12- it was a sign of great honor. I could almost feel tears coming to my eyes. What had I done to deserve that gesture? All I knew was that this was my district's way of saying goodbye. Because odds were pretty decent that I wasn't coming back.


	3. The Other Tributes

**Author's note: Almost to the capitol, and after that, to the games themselves! YAY! :D  
To clear things up- some name changes. **

**KagamineLen1738: That's the thing, I made it impossible for there to be GogoXHiro. They're supposed to be siblings, so there will be none of that. Sorry to disappoint- I don't ship it though.**

 **Gogo's POV**

After that gesture, I could feel the stone walls I had erected crumbling. I didn't want to get emotional. I couldn't afford it. Fortunately, the anthem of Panem played, then we were escorted into the justice building by Peacekeepers. I always found the name ironic- the building was something I associated strongly with the Hunger Games. We were split up- I had to resist the urge to reach for Hiro again- and escorted into seperate rooms.

My first impression was that we've been given the low end our entire lives, because this room is nicer than anything I've ever seen. And I'm sure even this is nothing compared to the capitol.

I waited, knowing that this was the time people were allowed to say goodbye. But who would say goodbye to me? I had no friends, no family. Only the Hamadas, and I didn't deserve anything from them anymore, now that my only goal would be to kill Hiro.

Not that killing him would be my intention. If anything, I had to bring him home. For Tadashi mostly. If it wasn't for him, I would have been sent away, or worse, died on the streets.

I was surprised when the door opened and Hiro and Tadashi's parents came in.

"Hey," I said, surprised.

"Hello Gogo," his mom said gently. She sat next to me on the couch, while her husband stayed standing. "Good luck in the arena," she said softly.

"Thanks…" I sighed. "But I'll bring Hiro back for you. And not in a box, I promise."

I noticed her tear-streaked face. She must have said goodbye to Hiro already.

"Thank you," she whispered. "Just… look after him in the arena. And in the capitol. Please. He's going to need it."

"I will," I said softly.

We didn't say much more. The time was over quickly. And then Tadashi came in. His face was hard, not tear-streaked like his parents.

"Keep him alive," he said as soon as the door closed behind him. "Promise me, Gogo."

"On my own life," I swore. Because that was what I'd have to give for him in the end anyways. "I'll die for him, Tadashi."

He shook his head, also sitting next to me. "Thank you."

"It's the least I can do. I owe you everything, Tadashi. I hate owing people, but I do. The least I can do for you is keep your brother alive, right?"

"It's way more than the least," he shook his head. "You know what this means to me."

"Of course I do. Don't worry, Tadashi. I'll do anything. I swear."

"Look after yourself out there too," he added. "The capitol is a messed up place- it's not like the districts. Try not to be like one of them, someone that's just part of their games, okay?"

I nodded. "Believe me, I'm not intending to."

He sighed, and reached out, folding something into my hand. I felt cold metal, and when I opened my palm, there was a pin there, with a bird that I recognized as a mockingjay.

"Take it," he said quietly. "Take it and keep it."

"Why didn't you give this to your brother?"

"I gave him something else."

I noticed that the one thing Tadashi always had with him- his hat- was gone.

"Your-" I put a hand to my head.

He got the meaning instantly. "Yeah. I thought it would be good… to remind him of home."

"I'm sure it will," I smiled.

We didn't have much else to say. It was just nice being… well, together. Not in a romantic way- just in a this-is-probably-the-last-time-I'll-ever-see-him kind of way.

Eventually, he was taken away, leaving me on my own. Visiting time must have been over, because Hiro and I were escorted outside, to a train. A capitol-standard faster-than-anything-I'd-ever-dealt-with train. This was nothing like the coal mine trains- this thing was seriously impressive. Then again, this is the tribute train. Where they keep the sacrifices- sorry, competitors, until the big show. That thought changed my view of it. It was just another prison. Just another holding cell until the Hunger Games began.

We were given seperate rooms, even nicer than the other ones. How, I don't know. I wouldn't let myself be fooled by all this.

There were clothes in the drawers in my room, but I didn't change into them. I didn't trust them- or anything else about this place.

Eventually, Venecia game to get us for dinner. She gave a slight mutter at my outfit- the slightly nicer black one I had for the reaping- then led me to where we were eating without another word.

Dinner was quietly awkward- me, Hiro, Venecia, and Diana, our victor. She didn't speak the entire meal, but seemed to be studying Hiro and I. Venecia only made a few comments- on how nice our manners were, and how she appreciated that we weren't total barbarians. That made me mad, and I sort of lashed out.

"Those kids you call 'barbarians' probably hadn't eaten much in months! This is more food than any of us have seen in our lives. We're not barbarians, just starving! Do you people in the capitol even know what starvation is?!"

Venecia gave me an irritated look. Hiro gave me a warning look, and Diana actually appeared interested in what was going on- for once.

"I hope you've taken care of that attitude some when we get to the capitol," she said irritatedly. "Hostility is hardly going to earn you sponsors." She stood, and left the room. I sighed, slouching in my seat, and pushing away my food. I wasn't hungry- not really. I couldn't eat anyways. The thought of what was coming made me feel sick.

Diana leaned forwards with intrest. "Alright, it's time for us to talk. I can already tell you've got some spunk," she nodded at me. "I like that. How about you, kid?" she turned to look at Hiro.

To my surprise, he leaned forwards and gave her a cocky smile. "I'm small. People underestimate me."

"Definitely on the small part," she murmured. "So, know anything about fighting?"

"I've spent most of my life hunting," I replied. "I've got some skills from that."

"I don't know…" Hiro admitted.

"Hm. Alright. You first, girl. Stand, and show me what you can do."

I got to my feet, and studied the food. There was a sharp knife there. I picked it up, testing its balance. Not bad. It would have to do.

"So, what should I aim at?" I asked, raising my eyebrows.

"Depends. How good are you?" she asked.

"Good enough that I'll hit whatever target you might pick."

She considered, before gesturing at a section of the wooden walls. "That spot right there. Hit it."

I smiled. "Duck." I whipped the knife at the wall. It spun beautifully, end over end, and missed the spot by about a foot.

Diana shook her head. "You're obviously not as good as you say you are. Believe me, kid, a high belief of your abilites is just going to get you into trouble. Stick with bragging about things you can actually do." She turned to Hiro. "Now you."

"I don't really have anything that I know how to do," he sighed.

"We'll find you something. She sat back, though she looked disappointed. "Let's go."

We went to another car in the train to watch a replay of the reapings. Venecia was there, and she said we should pay attention- these were the people we'd be fighting. Well, she said that to Hiro. She didn't say a word to me. Which was understandable.

I paid close attention, though only a few drew my intrest. The tributes from the slightly wealthier districts- one and two- were dangerously powerful looking. The girl from Two surprised me- she was thin, tall also, she had volunteered before the person drawing names had even finished asking. She obviously wanted to be in the games, and intended to win.

I'll need to watch out for her. I thought. I instantly disliked her, but that might have been just because she was from District Two.

Most of the other tributes didn't seem to matter, except a boy from ten who was mute apparently, a blond boy from five who had a warning look in his eyes- similar to the look the blond girl had in her eyes, except less malicious. Then there was one that bothered me, a boy from Eleven. He was close to Hiro's age, and pretty similar in look. He had dark hair, not ink-black like Hiro's or mine, but a deep brown. He skin was coppery, and he had bright green eyes. The thing that stuck about him was when he came up to the stage, he tripped, falling on his face, but got up quickly after that, laughing. Laughing. Like this was all a joke to him. I would have understood that from One or Two. But Eleven? They're hardly a rich district. He waved to the cameras, smiling widely, and blowing a mock-kiss.

"Here's to my fellow tributes!" he called. "And whoever kills me, make it quick please! If my clumsiness doesn't kill me first!" Then he laughed, as if he'd made an inside joke. The girl tribute glared at him.

"Shut up, Jay."

He grinned at her, but fell silent.

Then they showed twelve. I was alarmed to see that when I was called a flash of panic had shown in my eyes. After that I composed myself. The cameras were all looking at Hiro when he volunteered, so my shock at that was covered. The cameras caught all of it- Tadashi being called, Hiro jumping over the rope boundary and grabbing Tadashi's arm, just before he could get there, and volunteering. They have the salute to us too. I'm glad they had that. It was comforting, somehow, seeing that. I wondered if the other tributes were here too, somewhere on this same train, watching this as well and sizing the two of us up, seeing who would make easy targets.

Well one thing's clear. No matter what happens, I have to protect Hiro. I've got a promise to keep.


	4. First time entering the capitol

**Author's note: Almost to the action! Don't worry. :) Only a few more chapters!**

 **KagamineLen1738: Yeah. Don't ship it... sorry. I just can't see it. Besides, that was the one thing I didn't like about the Hunger Games books. XD Sorry about that.**

 **Hiro's POV**

It was nearly impossible to sleep that night. First off, it was a _train_. How does _anybody_ sleep on a train? Second off, I couldn't stop thinking about what was coming. Third, and less noticeable, there was a faint sound in the background. It was a constant, so I had almost thought it was the train. Until it stopped. Then started up again.

I got up, and tried the door to my room. It was unlocked- not that a lock would have been a problem to me. I exited it, and walked in the direction of the sound. I ended up where we'd eaten dinner.

It was dark, and the sound had stopped, so I thought I'd been imagining it for a second. At least, until a knife flashed two inches in front of my face and buried itself in the wall next to my head.

"What the heck are you doing here?!" Gogo's voice came from the other side of the room.

I turned to glare at her, crossing my arms. "What are _you_ doing throwing knives at people in the middle of the night?!"

"I wasn't throwing it _at_ you. You got in the way."

I turned, and was surprised to see a small red circle drawn on the wall. It was only about an inch in diameter- but clustered in it were three knives- four if you counted the one she'd just thrown at me.

"Did you throw _all_ of these?"

She nodded.

"Then why-" I had been about to ask why she'd missed earlier today, but she spoke before I could.

"I'm not a show," she snapped. "I missed on purpose. I'm not going to let people tell me everything I have to do."

"Selling yourself short isn't going to get you any sponsors once you reach the Capitol."

Gogo and I both spun, to find Diana leaning against the doorframe. She entered the room, striding up to the target Gogo had drawn and studying it.

"Not bad. Not bad. In fact, this is downright impressive. Where did you learn to throw like this?"

"Hunting," Gogo said briefly. "I never was good at using the bow and arrow."

"You could have asked Tadashi to teach you-" I started.

"I _won't depend on him for my survival_!" Gogo snapped, startling me. "I don't need anybody's help."

"What if you do?" I said quietly, expecting another knife to bury itself in the wall next to my head. "And you don't want to admit it."

 _THUNK_.

I wasn't disappointed. I flinched away, startled.

"Enough of that," Diana said, completely unfazed. "Either way, you're going to have to be more honest with me about your abilites from now on, understand? It's my job to get you two sponsors, and nobody will sponser you if they think you don't stand a chance. From now on, when I ask you if you can do something, you answer _honestly_. Are we clear?"

Gogo and I both nodded.

"Now Hiro, were you honest earlier?" Diana asked, turning to me.

"Of course I was being honest!" I sighed. "I'm not good with weapons."

"Hm. We'll find you something that you're good at then. As for you, that's going to be your skill when you get into training, understand?"

Gogo nodded again, expression dark.

"Alright, you two had best get some sleep. We're arriving in the capitol tomorrow, and being tired won't do either of you any good. Off you go."

I turned to go, and heard Diana speak to Gogo. "Wait here a moment. I need to talk to you." I looked back, and saw her eyes flick to me. "You go on."

I sighed, and obeyed, closing the door behind me as I left.

 **Gogo's POV**

"What is it?" I snapped, turning the knife I held over in my hands. I tried to make it look threatening- but it was just so that I could feel the firm, solid safety of a weapon.

Diana shook her head, and pulled a chair away from the table. She gestured for me to do the same.

"Sit. We need to talk."

I complied, doing my best to remember that she _was_ the one who would get me sponsors in the arena. I pulled up a chair, and sat, never taking my eyes off of her.

"You know, I was the same way you are now when I first came to the capitol," Diana sighed. "You remind me a lot of myself. I'm trying to help you here. Your temper is going to be the biggest problem for you while in the capitol. If you want sponsors, you'll have to loosen up a little. Your temper isn't going to get you anywhere. But if you want to do this, you'll have to trust my judgement, understand?"

I scowled. "And if I don't trust _you_?"

Diana smiled. "I'm not a capitol freak, you know." I raised my eyebrows, surprised to hear her use the words I thought all the time in my head. "I _know_ how it is. I'd imagine you hate the people from the capitol. You think they just want to use you as part of an entire large game. And you hate it, I'd imagine."

My eyebrows rose further. "How do you know all that?"

"Like I said, I was a lot like you when I first came to the capitol." She leaned forwards, sighing. "My goal is to keep you two alive. But you're going to have to help me with that. So when you get to the capitol, you're going to have to follow my instructions, no matter how much you hate them, understand?"

I nodded, though I still could feel resentment boiling inside of me.

Diana nodded. "Good girl. Now first instruction- go get some sleep."

I complied to that order without a single complaint.

The next morning, Venecia's voice woke me. I rolled out of bed, tensed, but then relaxed when I remembered where I was. I heard her footsteps moving away, and sighed. I considered the outfits. Forcing myself, I changed out of my black one into a dark blue outfit that I found in one of the drawers. Then I made my way to the dining car, where Hiro was already stuffing his face with breakfast. Diana had gone silent again- though that was probably due to the prescence of Venecia, who was drinking what I think was coffee. I noticed Hiro had a cup, and was drinking it slowly, a happy look on his face.

I sat down next to him. "Morning."

"Hi," he said. "Try that," he pointed to a glass of something that I didn't recognize.

"It's not going to poison me, is it?"

"I already drank mine. It's hot chocolate," he gave me a smile, and went back to eating.

I tried the drink. My eyes widened in surprise. It was delicious- better than any drink I'd ever had. I drank it all, ignoring the fact that it was burning my mouth. I finished, and managed to get past my reluctance, and actually eat something. Even as we were finishing, the train grew darker.

I looked up. "Where are we?" I asked.

Hiro's eyes lit up. "We're going through the tunnels! We'll be in the capitol soon! Come on!" he jumped to his feet, and practically dragged me towards the windows. I watched, though I could see nothing but blackness.

Panic began to settle over me. There was one small secret that I hadn't told anybody, even Tadashi- I was claustrophobic. It seemed stupid, but any small space, tunnels, small rooms, anything, really, and I began to panic. I felt trapped, buried under thousands of tons of rocks, struggling to even breathe. Hiro, in his fascination, didn't notice. Just as I thought I was going to totally freak out, we emerged, entering the capitol for the first time.

I'll admit, it took my breath away. It was huge, first off. Grand too. Greater than anything I had ever imagined. There were crowds of people, who began to point and chatter to each other with excitement when they saw the train. I pulled back, but Hiro waved eagerly, a wide smile on his face. He stopped as we pulled into the station, turning to look at me.

"This is _amazing_ , Gogo!" he said eagerly. "I mean, we're in the _capitol_."

"Yeah, amazing…" I agreed bleakly. But inside I was numb. Those people out there only were excited because they wanted to watch us die. We might as well have not even been human to them. Just animals to lead to the slaughter.

I heard Diana come up behind us. "It's time. You two had better get going. Now, listen, you two might not like this, but you're going to have to deal with your stylists next, understand? You might not like it- especially you," she glanced at me, "but don't cause trouble, understand?"

"Sure," Hiro shrugged.

I crossed my arms, but remembered my promise and nodded, even more reluctantly than usual. "Fine, whatever."

"Good," she sighed. "That's the best I can do for you right now. Good luck."


	5. The Tribute Parade

**Author's note: Lack of updates- apologies. I will do my best to update more frequently. As always, please read and review!**

 **Gogo's POV**

A few hours later, keeping my promise was growing increasingly difficult. Diana had been right when she said I would probably hate having to deal with the stylists. I did my best to be tolerant with the three on my prep team- but they were such _idiots_ that it was difficult. I forced myself to follow Diana's instructions, and didn't protest as much as I would have. So in short, I spent the entire time in silence, which seemed alright with my prep team, because they chattered amongst themselves. Finally, even as my patience was being pushed past its limit, they said they were going to go get my stylist.

I waited until they were gone to swear under my breath. I would almost rather I was in the arena fighting for my life. At least then things would sort of be under my control.

A minute later, a man who looked pretty normal for capitol freak standards, entered the room.

"Hello, Gogo," he said. "My name's Cinna. I'm your stylist."

I nodded, but didn't say anything else.

He sighed, and gestured for me to follow him. Suspicious- I always was- I followed him out of the room.

We entered another room. Cinna pressed a button and the table in front of us split, revealing a tray of food, lunch.

It looked good, but I ignored it, instead speaking to Cinna.

"Are you new?"

He nodded. "This is my first year. Alright, down to business. As you know already, your costume needs to be something related to your district."

I nodded. "I know."

"Well, Portia and I- my parter, who's responsible for Hiro- have decided to focus on a kind of design that matches both your personality, and the district. For Hiro, the idea came to fire, seeing as we burn coal, and from what we've been told he's quick and lively. For you, we wanted the other part of fire- the smoke, which seems to match what we've heard about you. Alright?"

I nodded again. No more words. No more talking. If I was going to obey Diana's instructions, my best bet would be to remain silent right now.

I had only been in the capitol one day, and I already hated it.

 **Hiro's POV**

Okay, so I had doubts about my costume. But seriously, I mean, I'm getting set on _fire_. Sure, my stylist said it wasn't real fire, but I wasn't so sure.

I met Gogo in the room where we were taking the chariots around the city. She saw me, and waved. I waved back, eyes wide with surprise. I had been told her costume would have something to do with smoke, but I hadn't realized how impressive it would actually be.

"Wow…" I shook my head. She was wearing a dark black dress, but it was textured to look like smoke, and when she moved it rippled, giving an impressive effect. "You look weird."

"That means a lot coming from the guy who's going to be set on fire," she pointed out.

I shrugged. "Point made. I've never seen you wear a dress before."

"And I can promise you you'll never see me wear one again." she shrugged. "I'm going to punch Diana the next time I see her."

"She'd better watch out then," I shrugged, grinning at her. She smiled back.

"You ready?" I asked.

She nodded. "As ready as I'll ever be."

Our stylists came running up to us. Portia gave me a smile, and Cinna nodded to Gogo. She nodded back- the friendliest thing I'd seen her do all day, actually.

"Ready to go?" Cinna asked me.

I nodded. But I still held my breath as he lit my outfit on fire. It didn't hurt though- so it must have worked.

Gogo caught her breath. "Wow. That's impressive."

"Thanks," I grinned.

"You two look great together," Cinna said, impressed. "You make an impressive pair. Now good luck!"

We both got onto the chariot, and Cinna and Portia left us alone. The chariots began to roll forwards.

I felt Gogo grip my hand for a second, before letting go. "I'm scared."

 _Gogo?_ Scared _? When has_ that _ever happened?_ I wondered. But instead of saying that I just nodded.

"I am too, don't worry."

"You're not, but whatever," she sighed. I felt her stiffen beside me. "We're going."

Our chariot began to roll forwards. I gripped Gogo's arm so tightly that I might have been cutting off circulation. Then she carefully took my hand. Reminding me I wasn't alone here.

Then we rolled out into the streets.

At first I was deafened by the cheering of the crowds. I looked up, seeing us on the screen, and was utterly shocked. Gogo and my outfits totally complimented each other. I'll admit- I looked pretty awesome, what with the whole being on fire thing. Gogo, even in a dress, managed to look somehow dark and ominous, standing beside me like a shadow. I began to smile, and waved to the crowd. They went wild, cheering and shouting our names. To my surprise, Gogo actually smiled slightly, and waved as well. I would have expected her to scowl throughout the entire thing, with how she had been acting, but she didn't.

The chariots stopped outside the president's mansion, where President Callaghan read the welcome speech to us. I couldn't help but notice that the cameras spent _way_ too much time focused on Gogo and I. Then the chariots rolled around again, and went into the training building.

Our stylists came running over, extinguishing the fake fire on my outfit. I noticed some of the other tributes giving us resentful glares- except one. That kid from district 11- Jay. He smiled widely at us, and gave us a thumbs up. Then the girl tribute from District 11- I think her name was Ava- grabbed him by the arm and yanked him towards her, whispering something in his ear. His face fell, and he gestured apologetically towards us, before following her away.

Before I could wonder about it, Venecia came and led both of us to our rooms.


	6. Training

**Author's note: Sorry again- give me one more chapter and we'll be to the games! The** ** _real_** **exciting part!**

 **Anyways, to respond to the reviews**

 **Hamadabrosrule: XD**

 **Rosycat: Ah yes, Jay. You get a little more about him in this chapter, but you'll learn more later. And thank you!**

 **Gogo's POV**

The worst part was our rooms they were even nicer than the train. We took an elevator up- it was exhilarating to see the ground shooting away beneath our feet- and each were given our own private rooms. They were nice, sure, but I hated them. Hiro was completely in awe- I could tell- but I had no interest in anything. I sat in the center of the room, fingering the mockingjay pin Tadashi had given me.

It might sound stupid of me- refusing to take advantage of what's around me, but I couldn't stop thinking about the real reason why I was here. This was just all a death trap. And no matter how nice they made it look, I knew that it was all a setup. And unlike Hiro, I wasn't going to let it fool me.

The next day we began our training. There were several training stations around the room. We'd been given instructions earlier that day- we would save what we were best at until we were showing the gamemakers what we could do. So I was to avoid throwing knives at anything, and Hiro was to avoid anything he thought he'd be good at.

We wandered around the room, learning different things. At some point Hiro split off. I had no clue where he'd gone, but it was just me. I found myself at a station next to the blond girl that I had seen volunteer from District 2.

She gave me a malicious smile. "Hey."

I ignored her, but she kept talking.

"District 12, right? Did I hear correctly when they said that little freak- the one that volunteered- is your brother?"

"He's not a freak," I replied evenly, still not looking at her, focusing on the weapon I was learning how to use.

" _Listen_ ," the girl sighed. A second later, she had gripped my shoulders, turning me to face her. I pulled away, staring her in the eyes this time.

"I don't know _how_ special you _think_ you are," she said in a warning hiss, "once we get into that arena, you and your brother are as good as _dead_."

"There's no use threatening me now," I replied casually. "We're not in the arena yet."

"But we will be soon," she replied, smiling maliciously. "Planning on winning, 12? Think you could get yourself home? Well it's _not going to happen_. _I'm_ winning this thing. Just remember that when you're in there, understand?"

I shrugged, doing my best to remain uncaring. "Sure. Good to know. You'll be my first target."

She laughed. "Yeah, real funny. You think you could _kill_ me, you don't even know how to use a weapon properly."

I shrugged. "We all have our secret skills."

"And what's yours, huh?"

I shrugged again. "You'll see in the arena."

"I'm sure I will. But just think, 12… choose your battles wisely. You won't last long on your own in the Hunger Games."

"What are you suggesting?" I replied.

"Just pick who you want to identify yourself with," she replied. "The winners, or the losers." She pointed, and, despite myself, I looked, to find Hiro laughing and talking with Jay, the tribute from District 11.

"Just think about it," she whispered. Then she gave me a dark smile, and walked away, off to another station.

I gritted my teeth. _Well one thing's clear- I know who my enemy is now_.

 **Hiro's POV**

"Hey."

I looked over. To my surprise, I found Jay standing beside me. He gave me a grin.

"Man, you guys were really something at the parade, huh?" he asked, raising his eyebrows. "How did you not panic? I would have tried to run if somebody set me on fire."

I couldn't help but grin back. "It wasn't real fire."

"Eh," he shrugged, "I would have burned myself anyways." He glanced at the knot I was working on tying. "How do you _do_ that?"

"Here, let me show you," I replied. I showed him how to do the knot, and he got to work trying to copy me.

"You know, your sister's terrifying," he whispered, leaning in close so that nobody else would hear him.

For a moment I had no clue who he was talking about- I didn't _have_ a sister. Then I remembered that Gogo was supposed to be part of the family. So _that_ was who he was talking about.

"Oh, Gogo?" I asked. "Yeah, I know, right?"

Jay laughed. It sounded like he did that a lot. "I'd hate to have her on my bad side. Then again- she'll be trying to kill me soon enough, right?" he shrugged. "I've heard some types of dying are painless. That would be nice…"

I shook my head, wondering how he could talk so casually about dying. I mean, was he even taking the games seriously?

Jay's eyes widened suddenly, and he whispered again. "I think your sister's in trouble."

I spun, my eyes quickly finding Gogo across the room. The blond girl from District 2 was standing facing her- the two of them each staring each other down. The blond girl was saying something to her, but I couldn't tell what.

"That doesn't look good," I commented. "What do you think they're talking about?"

"No clue…" Jay shuddered. "And I'm not sure I want to know. At least your sister isn't intentionally _trying_ to terrify everybody. _That_ girl though…"

I nodded agreement, and we went back to what we were doing.

We ate lunch all together in one room. I could already see the Career tribute pack building up- with the blond girl in the center of it all. I found Gogo, and sat with her.

I heard an angry voice near me, and looked up in time to see Jay talking to the girl tribute from his district.

"What the heck, Ava?" he demanded.

"I'm sorry, Jay," she replied, "but I'm not going to get any favor here if I show off that I'm already choosing to bond with the… weaker tributes."

"We're from the _same freaking district_! What's gotten _into_ you?!" Jay demanded. "I thought you were my _friend_ , Ava!"

"This is the Hunger Games now, Jay," she replied. "It's all about survival. I can't identify myself with you. It's bad enough that we're from the same district- I don't want people to think-"

Jay cut her off, his voice turning to ice. "No, _I_ understand. Fine."

He turned to go find an empty table, but I called to him.

"Jay!"

He turned to look at me.

"Come sit with us," I invited.

He shrugged, and joined Gogo and I at our table.

"What was that all about?" I asked.

He sighed, head down. "You heard it- she thinks that if she's around me, she'll be considered weak. And hey…" he sighed, "can you blame her?"

"Jay-" I started. He gestured for me to be quiet, and I shut up.

"It's okay. I'm used to this," he shrugged, and a smile returned to his face. "Eh. Whatever, right?"

 _How does he care so little_? I wondered. Suddenly, I considered that there might be something else beneath his friendly and cheerful nature. Something that nobody but Jay would know about.

And another thing- I wanted him as an ally.

 **Gogo's POV**

We trained for a few more days- until our final assessments with the gamemakers. Where we would get our training scores. Slowly, they called us in one by one. I was last- Hiro went before me, giving me a nervous grin.

"Good luck," he whispered.

"You too," I replied.

He disappeared into the training room. I waited, then my name was called.

The gamemakers were all sitting at a table. A few looked up, and some ignored me.

I rolled my eyes, walking over to where they had an assortment of knives. I lifted them, turning them over in my hands before proceeding to launch them at various small targets around the room. You would think this would have been enough, but the gamemakers seemed to lose interest quickly. Which made me angry. They couldn't even bother to _pay attention_ to what I was doing!

My next knife buried itself in the table, directly next to the hand of one of the gamemakers. They jumped backwards, several of them letting out cries of shock.

"Thank you," I said, my tone full of acid. Then I turned and stormed out of the room.


	7. Interviews

**Author's note: Last chapter before the games! Yay! This one is kind of long- longer than my usual update. But updates should now (hopefully) be more frequent. As always, please read and review!**

 **Hiro's POV**

At dinner Venecia, Diana, Gogo and I all assembled to see what the scores were. Gogo's fists were clenched- she had told us about throwing a knife at the gamemakers. I hadn't told her what I had done- which had resulted in a surprised look from her- but I promised that when we got into the arena it would be an advantage. Reluctantly, she'd agreed.

We waited as the scores flashed onto the screen. I crossed my fingers for Jay's, but he got a five. I sighed. I had hoped maybe he'd have something worth higher. But that was fine. Once we got into the arena he still would be a good ally. He'd keep me from going insane.

Finally, they showed Gogo and my scores. First mine showed- _11_ for my little display. My eyes widened with shock. Then Gogo's showed- _another_ 11.

The room erupted into cheers. Diana smiled, putting an arm around me and squeezing lightly.

"Not bad. Not bad at all," she muttered to me.

Venecia was ecstatic- of course she was.

Gogo remained where she was- stone still. I dropped onto the couch next to her.

"Hey. We got an amazing score," I said eagerly. "Come on, you should at _least_ be happy about that, right? We're almost _guaranteed_ to get sponsors now!"

"Yeah…" she muttered. She sounded distracted, like she didn't really believe it. "Great."

"What's up?" I asked her.

She shook her head. "Nothing, sorry."

I frowned. "You seem distracted. What's up?"

"Later," she replied.

I nodded. "Ok."

I met her up on the roof of the tribute building. When I got up there, she was already there, staring out at the lights of the capitol.

"So?" I asked.

She looked over her shoulder. "Hey Hiro."

"What's up?"

"I've been thinking," she replied. "About my conversation with that girl from District 2."

"What did she tell you?"

"I think…" Gogo said hesitantly, "I think she was making me an offer."

"An offer?"

"She told me to choose who I was going to identify myself with," she explained. "She made it sound like she was interested in me, but if I allied myself with you and Jay-"

"That would be associating yourself with the 'weaker' tributes?" I guessed.

She nodded.

"Well she's just a freaky manipulator," I replied. "Don't take what she says seriously."

"I know, but…"

I put a hand on her arm. She jumped slightly, which surprised me- she'd never really been jumpy before- but I pretended not to notice.

"Gogo, she's a _career_ tribute. She'll say _anything_ to try and scare you. You can't _really_ be thinking about allying with her."

"But if I could keep you safe…"

I raised my eyebrows. _Gogo_ set on keeping me _safe_? I had assumed I was going to be her first knife target once we got into the arena.

"I thought you were planning on killing me."

Her shoulders started shaking, and I thought she was crying, until I realized she was actually _laughing_.

"What's so funny?" I asked, kind of surprised.

"I swore on my life that I'd keep you alive," she replied. "I'm doing this for the only person I've ever owed anything to."

"Wha- you mean Tadashi?"

She nodded. "He asked me to keep you safe. And… I don't want you to die."

"But-"

She turned to look at me, her face completely serious. "You've got a life to go back to at District 12, Hiro. Family. People that care about you. Not so much for me. I've got nothing. No friends. No family. It's no secret that there are probably several people that are relived I'm gone back home. But you? You're likable, and people don't want to see you die. As for me- no one will care. You _have_ to get back."

I felt an unexplained surge of anger. "You _have_ a family! Or have you forgotten that you're my _sister_."

"Not by blood."

"That _doesn't matter_! You're still part of our family! How do you think my parents will feel? And Tadashi, if he has to watch his best friend die? You think he won't care?!"

She clenched her fists, moving closer to me. In that moment she actually _scared_ me. She reached out, putting one hand on my shoulder. Her grip was tight, and I remained frozen to the spot, too frightened to pull away.

"It's you or me," she said softly. "Take you pick Hiro. We can't both make it through the Hunger Games."

Then she turned and walked back inside, leaving me alone on the roof.

 **Gogo's POV**

 _It's almost over,_ I reminded myself. Just one thing left until the games. One more day in capitol, surrounded by capitol freaks. Just out interviews were left.

Out interviews… Diana had been coaching us on those all afternoon, trying to find an 'angle' that both of us could work towards. Hiro's angle had ended up being cheerful and sarcastic, which wasn't that hard for him to accomplish. Diana and I had talked for a while, trying to figure out what I should do. Eventually she suggested I should play the role of a protective older sister, determined to keep her little brother alive. I agreed to it- and that was basically it.

Just before the interviews I met with Cinna for my interview outfit.

"So what's the plan this time?" I asked. "Am I going to get lit on fire?"

He laughed. "Something similar, actually."

 _Dangers of the hunger games episode 1: Being burned to death by my stylist_.

I shrugged. "Alright."

"After the impact you two made, Portia and I agreed on keeping the fire-smoke thing. Besides, the audience will be expecting it."

I nodded, remembering Diana's instructions. Honestly, Cinna was actually decent- not what I'd expected- which made her orders easier to follow.

 _One more night and it won't matter_ , I reminded myself. _Because of your promise. Don't get too friendly._

A while later, it was time for the interviews. I was wearing another dark black dress- _why a dress, I_ hate _dresses-_ that was textured again to look like smoke, except for a fire pattern at the base. Just before I went out, Cinna used some of his fake fire to light the bottom of my dress. Instead of burning, it began to smoke. For a moment I was afraid to inhale, but he reassured me that it was basically black mist, and when I inhaled it actually _was_ safe to breathe it. And I'll admit, it was pretty ominous looking.

Hiro joined me a minute later, grinning. His outfit was also flame-featured- except he wasn't on fire.

"You're smoking," he noted.

"Part of the outfit."

"You said I'd never see you in a dress again."

"Ha ha. I wasn't planning on it."

"You didn't try and murder your stylist with a knife?"

"Again, ha ha. Shut up."

Hiro rolled his eyes, but he didn't aggravate me any further. Abruptly, I wondered something.

"Hiro?" I asked, looking over at him.

He glanced back. "Yeah…?"

"Are you…" I hesitated, "scared of me?"

His eyes widened for half a second. "Why?"

"Just noticing the way you act sometimes," I replied. "The difference from when you're around Tadashi and when you're around me."

He hesitated, then nodded. "Yeah… actually, you kind of terrify me. I mean, ever since I met you for the first time, I was convinced that you were going to take a knife to me at some point. I never knew when you'd snap…" he laughed ruefully. "After that fight with Tadashi, I was even more scared. Now, when you're going to be pitted against me in a fight to the death… well… It makes sense, doesn't it?"

I felt guilty for a moment, before shaking my head. "Hiro, I already told you. I'm not going to kill you. I'm trying to do everything I can to keep you _alive_."

He opened his mouth to say something else, but then we were walking out onto the stage and taking our seats. I was fully aware that all of Panem would be watching me tonight, and I had to act sure of myself.

Now we had to wait for everybody else's interviews to go by. I ignored them mostly- except for that blond girl from District 2. The crowd seemed to love her- despite the fact that she was obviously ruthless, cruel, and had been playing the other tributes for weaknesses before the games even began. At first I was relieved- I hadn't given her anything to use against me.

Except I had. When she'd insulted Hiro I immediately leapt to his defense. Which meant I cared about him. Which meant she could use that against me.

 _Great_.

I hoped, probably pointlessly- that she wouldn't have noticed that. The _last_ thing I needed was to give people things they could use against me in the arena.'

The only tribute who's interview I paid attention to was Jay. He came up to take his turn, and promptly tripped over his own feet and fell on his face. He hopped back up, laughing and waving good-naturedly.

He was obviously going for humor. Almost everything he said turned into one joke or another. He kind of poked fun at his own clumsiness, pointing out that if one of them tried to cut his head off, he'd probably just end up tripping.

"It's kind of hard to cut when when I'm down there," he said, gesturing at the floor. "Then I can bite their leg or something."

The crowd laughed, and soon after his timer went off.

It took me a second to register it was my turn, except Hiro was gesturing at me to go, so I forced myself up there, aware that now the entire country was looking at me. _Great_.

"So, Gogo. You and your brother, both getting reaped. What were your thoughts on that?"

I blinked. I'd just been asked a question. _Think! Answer you_ idiot _!_

"The same way anybody would react," I shrugged. "Knowing that my brother and I are going to be dropped into an arena where we're supposed to kill each other. Kind of like an instant nightmare." For reasons other than I was letting on. "I'm not letting him die though," I added, as viciously as I could.

"And I'd imagine he'd find that hard to do, with you protecting him."

It was nearly impossible to focus. I felt like I was being blinded. The lights were too bright. I _hated_ being watched by this many people- people who were going to be placing bets on my death. People who would _support_ the ones that were going to kill me. I was dizzy- I was worried I was going to pass out, which would be _terrible_.

"Gogo?"

I jumped slightly.

"I'm sorry- what was the question?"

"About your training score. An eleven, huh? Care to give us a hint?"

 _Are you working with the other tributes? Did one of them tell you to figure out my skill?_ Of course that was ridiculous, but it was _possible_ , and that was the problem.

"I'm not supposed to talk about it," I replied. "And even if I _could,_ I'd rather keep my skill secret than shout it out for all of the country to hear."

"Fair enough! So. Your other brother. Did he have any specific message that you'd like to tell us about?"

 _Tadashi._

"I-" for a moment I blanked out. I had no idea what to say. What did they want me to say?! "He told me to keep Hiro safe, and keep him alive. And do whatever it takes."

"And what did you say to _that_?"

"That Hiro's not dying," I replied firmly. "He's _going_ to survive. And I'm making sure he gets back home- no matter _what_!" I glared at the line of watching tributes. Just for a second, my eyes caught the blond tribute's, and she smirked, her eyes flashing. In that brief second, an entire unspoken conversation passed between us.

 _You want to keep him alive, huh?_

 _You heard me, you-_

 _No need to get unpleasant. You've got an option. You could make a powerful ally. And I'm sure he could too. You'd have to ditch that weak tribute from district 11, but that wouldn't be that hard, would it?_

 _I'll die before I join up with_ your _kind!_

 _That can be arranged._

 _Fine. See you in the games._

 _I'll be waiting._

The questions continued after that, but I was too distracted to answer any of them clearly. I kept thinking about the look that girl had given me. I wouldn't admit it to anybody else, but I was _scared_. And that wasn't good. Going into the games, the _last_ thing I needed was to feel fear. It would just make me look weak.

Finally my timer went off. Relieved, I stumbled back to where we were sitting.

Hiro leaned over and tapped me lightly. "You okay?" he whispered. "You looked like you were going to pass out."

"I hate being in front of large crowds of people like that," I muttered back.

He raised his eyebrows like he was going to say something else, but then got called up for his interview.

Hiro was instantly more likable than I was. He joked along, getting several laughs out of the crowd.

"So Hiro," the interviewer- Ceasar what's-his-name- hey, I've never cared about capitol freak names, okay? - began, "your sister. She seems like a pretty ominous individual, huh? What do you think?"

Hiro grinned. "You just have to get to know her. She's actually a pretty good person. There was this one time…" Hiro launched into a story about the time we'd taken him out into the woods- carefully not mentioning we were illegally hunting- and had been attacked by a lynx. I could help but smile slightly when he recounted how I'd shoved both him and Tadashi behind me, and kept the lynx from hurting them.

"That sounds very brave! It must be good to know somebody like that will be watching your back!" the interviewer said when Hiro was done.

Hiro grinned. "Or trying to stab me in the back. You never know!"

They continued back and forth, with Hiro answering each question cheerfully. How he could stand up there smiling and laughing when these people were going to watch us die for entertainment, I didn't know. But somehow, he did.

Finally, it was all over. He came back to me, breathing deeply. "That was… pretty terrible."

I nodded, but both of us knew what was coming next was going to be worse.

The Games.


	8. Let the games begin

**Author's note: Updates will be more frequent now that I'm into the interesting part!**

 **Hamadabrosrule: Hi!  
It's okay- thank you for reviewing anyways!  
I'm glad you like it. XD  
The Force Awakens? XD Only three times! BB8's cute, but Baymax is waaay cuter. BB8 can't give hugs, after all! Ball droid is a 7, Baymax is an OFF THE SCALE FIFTEEN! 3  
It's actually May the odds be ever in your favor. But close enough. XD  
You know what, a hunger games star wars crossover would be cool. Hunger Games with lightsabers anyone?**

 **Hiro's POV**

I couldn't sleep- which if you think about it, kind of makes sense. I was too busy wondering what the arena would be like. Forests would be good- Tadashi had always said I was good at hiding myself.

My thoughts changed from the arena to Jay- how I was going to find him and ask him to be my ally. I hoped I could find him quickly enough. Then we could find Gogo. It would be nice having a team of three. I knew Gogo was good at hunting, and I'm sure Jay was good at _something_. Or he would have gotten even less than a five. Either way, I felt bad for him. And besides- I liked him. He was nice, and funny, and had a really good sense of humor.

Eventually, I was tired of sitting around. I made my way out to the roof, hoping to get some fresh air.

To my surprise, Gogo was up there already. She was kneeling next to the edge, and as I watched, she stuck her hand out tentatively. There was an electric sound, and she swore, jerking her hand back.

I considered whether or not I should say anything- since if I startled her I didn't want her to fall off the roof. Or for her to attack me- either way would be bad.

For a second, I considered going back down. I still was a little uncomfortable around her- I couldn't stop thinking about that fight with Tadashi she'd had. What if she turned on me like that?

I was about to, when I hesitated, turning back. She was breathing hard- it almost sounded like she was hyperventilating.

I walked over. "Hey. You okay?"

"I'm fine…" she replied. Her voice sounded a lot weaker than it normally did- which was worrying. "Go away."  
"What's wrong?" I insisted.  
She glanced up at me, shaking her head. "You wouldn't know."

I took a guess. "You're scared."

She sighed, taking a deep breath before standing. "Yeah, I guess so."

I wasn't entirely sure what to say to that. First- I hadn't expected her to admit it. Second- what was I supposed to say to that? I couldn't tell her it'd be okay- we were going to be dropped into the Hunger Games in a few hours, where only one of us could survive.

"Do you want me to leave you alone…?" I ventured.

She shook her head. "No. Stay. I think I'll go crazy otherwise."

I shrugged. "Okay."

We stood in silence for a while, looking out over the capitol. Many lights were still on- even though it was the middle of the night. I wondered if this was normal for the capitol, or if this was just in celebration of the games.

"How are they so ignorant?" Gogo asked eventually. "These people from the capitol. They know _nothing_ about us- all of us are little more than animals to them. Just things to make fight to the death for entertainment. It's just… so…"

"Inhuman? Cruel? Barbaric?" I suggested.

She smiled slightly. "All of the above."

"Above who?" I said innocently.

She rolled her eyes, but her smile widened. "You know what I mean."

I nodded. "So. Plan for tomorrow. Now's as good a time as any to work it out, right?"

She shrugged. "What's the plan?"

"Get as far away from the Cornucopia as possible- we'd both die there. Find Jay, get into the woods if there are any, find a source of water, and try not to die."

"Seems like you have everything worked out. What about supplies?"

"Dying in the Cornucopia is _not_ a good way to get supplies."

"Okay, okay…" From her expression, I knew she had another idea- Tadashi made that face all the time. It was almost _scary_ how similar the two of them could be- it also had made it a lot easier to pass her off as our sister.

"You good now?" I asked after a second.

"Yeah. Thanks Hiro."

"No problem…" I shrugged. I'll admit, I don't have much experience with comforting people. Mostly that was Tadashi's job.

"We probably should go in now…" she sighed. "Get some sleep before the games."

I nodded. "See you tomorrow."

"Tomorrow."

The next morning I went with my stylist to the roof, where the hovercraft would come to take me to the games. I was kind of hoping Gogo would be there- just for somebody to talk to, but it was just me and Portia. Neither of us said a word to the other.

After a minute of waiting, a hovercraft descended. When it was about ten feet above the roof it stopped, and a ladder dropped down. I glanced at Portia and she nodded. I stepped onto the ladder, and instantly some electric current froze me in place. Which was actually _kind of_ scary…

The ladder retracted into the hovercraft, but didn't let me go after that. I started freaking out even more when a woman wearing a white coat like a doctor walked over to me holding a syringe. I freaked out, but she smiled slightly at me. "Don't worry, Hiro. This is just a tracker, so we'll know where you are in the arena."

 _Oh._

 _Stalker much?_

I winced as she injected it into my arm. After that, the ladder released me, and I followed Portia into another room.

There was breakfast laid out for us, and I did my best to eat, trying to forget that the Hunger Games would be starting soon.

After we ate, I was given an outfit to change in to. It wasn't anything major- a dark green shirt and pants, and a jacket. The shoes looked good for running- which would help because I was going to have to do a _lot_ of that.

The hovercraft flew for a while, then eventually the windows went dark. We were probably over the arena. Honestly it was annoying that I didn't get to see what it looked like. Did it _really_ matter? Would it kill them to let me see a _little_ of the arena beforehand?

Apparently yes.

Eventually the hovercraft landed and Portia and I got off. we were in an underground chamber underneath the arena. Neither of us said anything to each other. Eventually, the metal circle that I was standing on was closed off in a kind of tube, which meant it was for me to go up into the arena.

The metal circle began to rise, and for a second I was totally blinded by the sun. At the same time, I heard an announcer speak. "Ladies and gentleman, let the 74th annal Hunger Games begin!"

The sixty second clock was ticking.

Once my vision cleared, I began to scan the arena.

The first thing I noticed was the cornucopia- stocked with enough supplies to keep me alive for months. Then the tributes- arranged in a circle around the cornucopia, each an equal distance away. We all had to remain on these plates for sixty seconds, or we'd get blown up.

Then, of course, there was the arena.

The cornucopia was on an elevated plateau, with steep cliffs on all sides. There were a few manageable paths, each leading down into the valley below.

Part of the valley seemed to be a weird arrangement of stone pillars, as tall as skyscrapers. From here I could see they were riddled with caves. A good hiding place- or a death trap. It depended.

Another section was a forest- also huge. The trees nearly stretched to the top of the plateau, and beyond it looked like a dense jungle. A lot of cover- but again, probably potentially dangerous.

Closest to me was a huge grassland, broken up by several rivers. There was a lot of water there, but not enough cover.

The other one was a section of rolling hills, with a smaller forest. That looked like a better bet than the jungle. I made up my mind to try and make it to there as quickly as I could.

My eyes found Gogo's. She was nearby, and across from me.

 _As soon as it starts, run for the hill section._

To my surprise, she looked away from me, glancing instead at the blond girl. Her eyes narrowed slightly, before flicking back to mine.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw movement. I turned, and saw Jay swaying back and forth unsteadily. My eyes widened slightly. If he fell now, he'd die. Instantly.

Fortunately, he just barely managed to regain his balance. His eyes met mine, and a huge smile split his face. He waved cheerfully, and, despite myself, I waved back.

Then, the gong sounded.

I reacted instantly, running towards Jay. I glanced back at Gogo momentarily, to make sure she was running towards the hills.

She wasn't.

She was running straight towards the cornucopia.

I skidded to a stop, swearing under my breath. What was she _thinking_?!

She did have one thing going for her- she was _fast_. I'd seen her full-out sprint before, but if anything she was going even faster now. She was at the cornucopia long before all the other tributes, and I saw her snatch something from the mouth of the horn.

My attention was drawn away from her by a loud shriek. Jay had stupidly gone for the supplies, but fallen. One of the tributes had noticed him, and was coming at him with a spear.

I panicked. He was too far away to get to in time, and he was weaponless. And I didn't want him to die. I knew it could be dangerous, but I _liked_ him.

All of a sudden a knife came whipping out of nowhere, burying itself in the skull of the tribute attacking Jay. He collapsed, and I turned to see Gogo, wearing a backpack now, with her arm raised. She met my eyes, and then turned, taking off in the opposite direction of the hills. My mouth fell open in shock as she ran towards the jungle. She didn't even bother with the paths- seeing as she was being chased by one of the other tributes. Without looking back, she threw another knife. It took them in the chest, and they fell to the ground, dead. She took a flying leap, landing on top of the jungle's canopy. She disappeared through one of the holes, and was gone.

I made it the rest of the way to Jay, helping him up. "Your sister…" he said, eyes wide. "She just saved my life…"

"Yeah, come on!" I pulled him up and dragged him after me, towards the hills. He was stumbling, and nearly fell several times.

I had gotten my hands on a small backpack, which had a pocket knife in it, along with a bit of food. I was hoping to find more in the hills.

If I'd been alone I would have gone after Gogo, but I didn't want Jay to die. And besides, it wasn't safe to stay around here any longer, or someone would try to kill us. It was amazing nobody had yet.

We kept running.


	9. The first deaths

**Author's note: Sorry- it's been a long time. But here's an update! Finally, let the games begin!**

 **Gogo's POV**

The branches whipped at my face as I jumped from one branch to the next. I wondered how I was still alive. But now I had provisions, and a very extensive array of knives. All in all, the beginning of the Hunger Games was going pretty well for me.

I tried to ignore how I felt. I had just killed two people. Somewhere, two families were broken hearted- and someone was probably cursing my name, hoping I'll die. But I couldn't care. I couldn't let myself care. I couldn't see the other tributes as human beings- that would destroy me. I couldn't feel guilt or pain at their deaths. I had to keep my eyes on my only goal- keeping Hiro alive.

Finally, I slowed, coming to a halt. It was dark at the floor of the jungle, and, in hindsight, this place was probably packed with danger.

I took a moment to take inventory of my supplies. One pair of goggles- which I put on. Instantly, my vision brightened. I smiled, and kept looking. Sleeping bag. Food. Water purifiers. Another knife. A few other items. Good. I was well equipped, and ready to survive.

As for Hiro… for now, all I could do was hope.

 **Hiro's POV**

Jay and I finally slowed once we were inside one of the forested sections. Jay was grinning.

"Man… that was a lot of chaos, huh?"

I grinned back, nodding. A second later, a cannon went off. Both Jay and I flinched. We listened as another went off. Then a third. And a fourth. And so on. Eventually they stop- and ten are already dead.

"Ten…" Jay shook his head, his eyes going to the sky. "I hope Ava isn't one of them."

I raised my eyebrows. I mean, I know they were from the same district, but Ava _had_ basically called him weak and abandoned him.

"We'll find out tonight," I shrugged.

That night, once Jay and I had set up camp, we lay on a tarp that had been in my pack, staring at the sky as we listened to the anthem. After a moment, they showed the faces of the dead tributes. I hoped we'd see the face of the blond girl that had been intimidating Gogo- but no such luck. None of the faces were anybody that I'd known.

Jay let out a sigh of relief. "I don't know what I'd do… if she died," he said quietly.

I looked over at him. "Ava?"

"Yeah… no matter how much she hates me… She's still from the same district as me. That has to count for _something_. For you… man, I can't even _imagine_ how hard it must be. I mean, with your sister being in the games and all."

"Yeah…" I nodded distractedly. I hoped Gogo was okay- the jungle section had looked pretty dangerous.

"Man, what are you thinking about?" Jay glanced over at me, raising his eyebrows.

"Gogo," I sighed. "I'm worried about her. And… kind of scared."

"Scared?"

"She already has killed two people," he admitted. "And… it didn't seem to affect her. I don't know if I could do that. And… seeing that… it just makes me wonder if I'll be the next target for one of her knives."

Jay laughed. "Nah. You heard her- she'll do anything to keep you alive. I can't read people very well, but she obviously cares about you- no matter how scary she is. She's just being ruthless so that she can keep you alive."

My eyes widened slightly in surprise. "You really think so."

"Of course I do. You're not the only one with a super protective sibling."

"You have one?"

"Had," Jay said quietly. "Two years ago. Reaped for the Hunger Games. Never came back."

"Oh… I'm so sorry Jay…" I started, feeling horrible. I couldn't imagine what it would be like to lose a sibling to the Games. Then again… I almost had. I could have lost Tadashi.

"Yeah… it's just my family luck," Jay muttered. "Other people probably bribed the peacekeepers to put my name in there more than once."

"Nobody would do that."

"You don't know what the people from my district think of me."

I had to admit, I didn't. But no one could hate somebody from their own district _that much_.

"Fair enough…" I admitted.

Apparently, Jay decided to elaborate. "They hate me," he sighed. "All of them. I was always a nuisance, dropping things, breaking things. At harvests, I'd fall out of trees, or trip other people, and generally be a nuisance. Ever since I was 12, people started looking to the Games as the only way to get rid of me. I was just another problem- too inconvenient to keep around. But nobody wanted to get rid of me either. I guess in a way they pitied me. A pathetic scrawny kid, with no family since his brother died in the Games. My mother died in childbirth, my father died after my brother's death, leaving me alone. Nobody would take me in. Nobody wanted anything to do with me. I did everything I could, but I was just too clumsy, and too hopeless. I'd never amount to anything- and everybody was sure to tell me that."

My eyes were wide as Jay continued his story. All this had happened, and he managed to keep smiling and joking around?  
"When I was reaped, don't think I didn't see the people's faces," he continued. "They were relieved. Finally, they'd be rid of me. Me, clumsy, uncoordinated Jay. I guess they got their wish."

"Jay?" I said quietly.

He looked over, and I was surprised to see his eyes were watering. "Yeah man?"

"It's okay," I said quietly. "And… I'm really sorry about your family."

He forced a smile onto his face. "Hey, it's alright. At least… at least I'll see them again soon." He closed his eyes, curling into a little ball. Seconds later, he was asleep.

I sighed. "Good night Jay." I relaxed, curling up as well, and quickly fell asleep.


	10. Developing plans- and a lot of thinking

**Author's note: So bad at updating! D: Sorry.**

 **EmberSkies: I understand where you're coming from about the chapter titles. However, the purpose of the titles is not to entertain you- it is to give you an overview about what happens in this chapter. However, thank you for the suggestions, and I will do my best to improve them. (After this chapter sorry for another terrible title)**

 **Gogo's POV**

It didn't seem… fair. The deaths. The tributes images showed once in the sky, then that was it. They were gone forever. Ten families were mourning right now. And two of those ten would be watching me with hate-filled eyes. They'd remember me- and they'd be waiting for my death. I was sure of it.

I sighed, wishing again that I'd stayed with Hiro. He would need my help- especially since he'd have to feed both him and Jay.

Jay…

I wasn't sure what to think. I mean, the district 11 tribute was nice enough, but that didn't help anyone in the Hunger Games. His clumsiness would slow Hiro down- and could prove fatal for him.

On one hand, I would have told Hiro not to ally himself with Jay. Jay would just slow him down, and act as an impediment. Besides, Hiro couldn't afford to get attached to anybody. Especially when that someone had a problem like Jay's- which would get him killed in a real fight.

Then again… could I really be that cold? It seemed kind of… heartless to do that. And could I really say that anyways? After all, I _had_ saved his life.

I wasn't sure what had led to that decision. I had no personal feelings considering Jay- alive or dead. This was cold and heartless of me- but I had to be strong for Hiro and I both.

Maybe that was why I'd saved Jay. If I'd let him die, it would have hurt Hiro. I needed to keep Hiro safe- as best I could. And so, to an extent, I had to keep Jay from dying as well.

 _Great. Someone else to protect_.

I sighed, pulling myself into the sleeping bag. It was warm- which I was grateful for.

To reduce the risk of ambush, I had my sleeping bag up in a tree, between two large branches. No tribute would be able to reach me up here, unless they had a bow. And even then, I doubted they'd be able to see me in this dark.

Slowly, I managed to fall asleep.

 **Hiro's POV**

Someone woke me in the morning. I felt his hand gently shaking my shoulder.

"Hiro… Hiro, man, time to get up."

"What…?" I muttered groggily, rolling away from his hand.

" _Man_!" the voice groaned. "Hunting to do! Supplies to check. Survival. Sounding familiar?"

"Sleep… a few more minutes?" I replied. It must be Tadashi. My brother wanted me to go on one of his hunting trips. But I was too… too tired. "Go… without me."

"Hiro what's wrong with you? _Get up_!"

His voice was too high pitched to be Tadashi's… I began to get confused.

"I would splash water on your face, but we don't _have_ water. Man, we're in the _Hunger Games_ , and you're lying about right now! Up!" This order was followed by another, rougher shake.

Those words finally got me to remember where I was. It wasn't Tadashi shaking me- it was Jay. I wasn't home and safe in District 12, I was in the _middle of the Hunger_ _Games_. _Nothing_ was safe. Ever.

I managed to drag myself up. "Okay, supplies," I said, taking charge. What have we got?"

"No water," Jay said instantly. "One loaf of bread. A water bottle- empty. A small tarp. A few crackers. A knife."

"A knife?"

"I pulled it out of the tribute Gogo saved me from," he muttered. "The one with the spear."

I felt instant hope. "Do you have the spear?"

Jay produced it, and handed it to me.

Just like I'd done with the gamemakers, I took it and began spinning it through the air in complex and blindingly fast patterns. Jay stepped back, eyes wide with appreciation.  
"Man, you didn't tell me you could use a spear!"

"It's a game Tadashi and I used to do," I shrugged. "Patterns in the air with sticks. The faster and more complex one won. Tadashi kept beating me, so I practiced. And beat him."

"Well it might save you life one of these days," Jay grinned. "That's awesome." As an afterthought he added, "or mine. That'd be even more awesome."

"Right," I nodded, taking a deep breath. "First things first. We find water."

"Then?"

I considered it. "We stay out of sight, and we hunt down Gogo."

"In the jungle?"

"She's my _sister_ , Jay."

He sighed. "Right. Water, then into the jungle to find knife-throwing sisters it is."


	11. Said knife-throwing sister

**Author's note: YAY FOUR REVIEWS! Well, that just made my day right there. Hi Rosycat! XD**

 **Normally I only respond to the latest reviews, but I'm going to make an exception because I want to respond to all of them. So here we go!**

 **#1: Yeah, they are different. Lani's quiet, and then turns sassy, Jay is happy and cheerful all the time (except when he isn't. XD) And yeah... but... on the other hand, you could kind of understand where she's coming from.**

 **#2: Glad you liked it! It's okay that your reviews aren't as long... I just get going.**

 **#3: Yep. I did. XD It's such a 'Hiro' thing.  
The Arena is kind of one of my best pieces of work. I hope to be able to play around with all the sections- it's so cool!  
Oh yeah, Jay... Wow, this is like a back and forth thing, isn't it? I don't want you to kill Lani. You don't want me to kill Jay. That's the thing. I love Jay. I love him so so much. But you never know. I guess it all depends, doesn't it? ;)**

 **#4: I'm glad you like it. And yeah, she kind of is.**

 **NOW ON TO THE ACTUAL STORY!**

 **Gogo's POV**

The forest was unnaturally quiet. Except for the sound of insects, and my own footfalls, nothing else stirred. I didn't like that. It was like the forest was one giant bomb waiting to explode. Dangerous.

But that's why I'd gone this way. Not many people would be stupid enough to follow me. Especially not Hiro.

 _Hiro_ … I sighed. At least he was alive. At least he was alright-

Suddenly, as if reacting to my thoughts, a cannon went off. My eyes instantly snapped to the sky, though I wouldn't know who it was until tonight. My pulse raced for a moment, and I forced myself to calm down. Hiro was fine. He _had_ to be fine. Besides, if he'd been attacked and… killed, there would have been _two_ cannons. Not just one. I would know if he was dead.

Still, hearing the cannon rattled me. It reminded me where I was. It reminded me how dangerous it was.

I wasn't exactly sure where I was going. I'd lost my bearings last night in the dark. I eventually started walking back the way I'd come, hoping to find the cliff that I'd jumped off of yesterday. I thought back to Tadashi, and what he'd say if he'd seen that. He was probably angry that I'd left Hiro. Well there was nothing I could do about that, was there?

Still… I had promised Tadashi that I would protect him. And so far, I was failing at that.

"I'm sorry Tadashi," I whispered. "But I had to draw the fire away from him. If the careers are focused on me, they'll leave him alone." I knew a camera would catch those words, and hopefully Tadashi would hear them.

After another hour of silent walking, I began to realize that something was wrong. First off, I hadn't reached the wall yet, and I'm pretty sure I didn't go that far last night. Second, the clicking had gone silent.

From all the years that I'd been forced to watch the Hunger Games, I knew this wasn't a good sign. Silence never is.

I looked around, searching for the threat, my hand already going to one of my knives. The forest around me was strangely empty. And above me there was the sun. The _sun_?

I looked around again, to find that I was in a clearing. Of course. Something was about to happen. This was set up for the cameras.

I gritted my teeth, looking up at the sky. "What do you _want_?!" I snarled. "Just looking for more ways to entertain yourself?! Setting me up to die in front of a camera?"

There was no answer- but they heard me. I knew it. They could make my life hell for it if they wanted to, but I didn't care. I'd take what they threw at me.

 _Click. Click. Click. CLICKCLICKCLICKCLICKCLICK…_

My eyes shot up to the trees around me. I caught my breath, eyes widening.

I'm not scared of much, but this was pushing it. In the trees around me were thousands of spiders. Each one was at least the size of my hand, with long hairy black legs, and large nasty-looking mandibles, which made the clicking sound. They coated the tree trunks, millions of little red eyes blinking. Waiting.

I caught my breath, my grip tightening on the knife. There was no way I could find this many things. _Of all the ways to die_ _…_ I lifted the knife defensively.

There was a collective hiss, and a tremor ran through the watching spiders.

"Don't come any closer," I muttered. I knew it was pointless, but I didn't care. "First one to came within two feet gets squished."

I glanced down, in time to see one of them inching towards me, fangs out, reaching for my ankle. Without a second's consideration, I stepped on it. It made an ugly crunch as I crushed it.

There was a furious storm of clicks from all around me, and the spiders charged in an ugly black tide.


	12. Welcome to the team- temporarily

**Author's note: STILL ALIVE! Wow. An update in less than 3 months. YAY! I'M IMPROVING!**  
 **Sorry about that cliffhanger- no, actually I'm not. I'll do it again, just watch. I looooove cliffhangers. THIS MUCH! (I really need to stop making MR references- no one gets them XD)**  
 **Anyways, now that I'm done being distracted... REVIEW TIME!**

 **SodaHybrid: Thank you! :D**

 **Hiro's POV**

"Hiro?"

I looked over at Jay. "Yeah?"

"Knock knock."  
I stared at him in complete disbelief for a couple seconds. "Jay, are you telling me a _joke_?"  
He grinned back at me. "Hiro. You're supposed to say 'who's there?' not 'are you telling me a joke'."

"Okay, who's there," I replied, my eyebrows lifting with amusement.

"Hunger Games."

"Hunger Games… who?"

"It's a thing, not a person, silly!" Jay broke down into hysterical laughter.

I stared at him, and slowly, a grin split my face, and I started laughing as well. "Jay… that was a _terrible_ joke!"

"I… got you… though!" he laughed. "It was- whoa!" he tripped over a loose root, and hit the ground with a loud _thud_.

I lost it then, doubling over and laughing hysterically along with him. "Jay… bro… are you alright?"

"I'm good, man," Jay laughed. "Hiro… man… you're the best. No one else would have laughed at that."

"Their loss," I grinned back at him. I couldn't believe it- we were in the _Hunger Games_ and Jay _still_ found ways to laugh. It was unbelievable.

Suddenly, there was a loud _CRACK_! Jay and I froze instantly. I pulled out my spear, and Jay gripped the knife, eyes wide. He was terrified- I could see it in his eyes.

I started forwards, holding my spear out in front of my warily. When I saw what had made the sound, I stopped, raising my eyebrows.

A girl was hopelessly tangled in a trap- a net hanging from a tree. She had missed it partly- but the ropes had gotten wrapped around her, and she was stuck. As soon as she

saw me, she swore under her breath.

"Don't just look at me like that! If you're going to kill me, _kill me_!"

Jay poked his head out from behind me, his eyes bright. " _Ava_?"

Her eyes lit up with hope. " _Jay_?! Get me out of here!"

Jay stepped forwards, smiling. "I'm glad you're not dead. Wow, I was worried, and here you are, just _hanging_ out."

"That's not funny, Jay!"

I smiled at her. "Really? I think it kind of is."

"Whatever! Just get me down!" she sighed, as I raised one eyebrow, and added, " _please."_

I hesitated. I didn't want to leave her here to die, but what if she attacked us?

Fear lit up her eyes. "If this is about what I said to Jay, then I'm _sorry_! I'm just trying to stay alive. You can't blame me for that. _Please_ don't leave me here!"

The fear in her eyes settled it for me. Even if this was a mistake, I couldn't do this to anyone.

"Jay, cut her down."

Jay grinned at me. "Will do, boss!" He took the knife and started sawing at the ropes. A minute later, Ava was dumped to the ground. Jay reached down and helped her up with a little smile.

"You were worried about me?" she asked Jay. "Even after I was… you know… a jerk to you?"

"Ava." The joking smile was gone from his face, replaced by complete sincerity. "Of course I was worried. We're from the same district. I don't want to see you die."

A slight smile crossed her face. "You're really sentimental, you know that?"

"I am _not_!" he grinned. Then the grin dropped again. "But seriously, Ava. I wouldn't leave you to die. I wouldn't leave _anyone_ like that."

I considered interjecting there, but I understood what Jay meant. It seemed so… heartless to leave a person helpless, knowing that sooner or later they'd be killed by another tribute- or worse, killed slowly by the gamemakers for a good show. It was a horrible way to die. But… if it came down to that, could I do it? If it came down to me or Jay, could I really kill him?

I shook the thoughts off quickly. I'd… think about it when we got to that. For now- deal with Ava.

Apparently, though, Jay had already taken care of that.

"You can stay with us," he explained, "until, you know, you find some supplies or something. You'll have to help us hunt, but it'll keep you alive, until you can go off on your own."

"Jay-" I started. Then I stopped. What would I say to him? Tell him to leave her on her own, with limited supplies?

"Yeah, man?" he hesitated. "Um… did I do something wrong?" His green eyes were so wide and worried that I didn't want to turn him down.

"No, not at all. Ava, welcome to the team," I held my hand out.

She studied me, before taking my hand with a soft sigh. "Just… just until I can make it on my own."

"You got it," I agreed.

"So where are we going?"

I turned to look off into the woods. "Hopefully to find my si-"

 ** _BANG!_**


	13. Bite me- no, on second thought, don't

**Author's note: YAY REVIEWS! Yeah, I guess I left it off on a cliffhanger- twice. Well, just wait. It gets worse. XD Sorry-not-sorry**

 **To respond to my reviews- as always!**

 **LeikoHofferson: YAY THANK YOU! :D HERE YOU GO!**

 **Okay, Rosycat, I'll reply to both** ** _again_** **since I have a habit of doing two chapters in rapid succession.**

 **Rosycat 1: You're welcome! (You seem to be in a good mood today. Perhaps I need to give you more cliffhangers)  
YAY! Thank you! I'm glad you like it. I've had a bit of practice writing her... I spent a lot of time writing fanfiction when the movie came out  
Yeah. Spiders. Eek. Just thinking about all the spiders makes me shudder. And yet, here I am, writing it anyways.**

 **Rosycat 2: Don't get too comfortable... ;)  
I'm glad you love Jay. He's kind of sweet and funny that way.  
Same! YAY! Another MR fan!**

 **Gogo's POV**

 _Of course there have to be a million of them._

A few spiders, I could have handled. And maybe a few more.

But this many?

That's too much to ask.

Another thing- did they _all_ have to rush me at once?

I did my best- stabbing at them with my knives, and stepping on them, but they were all around me. For each one I killed, ten took its place. Despite my best efforts, they were getting closer, biting at my ankles, swarming towards my legs.

I can think of some pretty horrible ways to die, but this was the worst. Here, chewed to death by millions of spiders.

The jungle around me was a sea of tiny red eyes and black shifting limbs. Bites stung me, and I began to feel lightheaded.

 _Just what I need. Poison._

I shook the spiders off, but they kept coming. I slashed with my knives, staining them with black blood, but there were so _many_ of them. They just kept coming and coming.

Panic began to fill my mind, blotting out all other emotions. I fought it, cursing at myself- _get a grip, Gogo!_ \- but it was no use. I was going to die here. And then Hiro would have no one to protect him.

I took a deep breath, and turned my eyes to the jungle around me. And suddenly, I felt eyes on me.

I gritted my teeth. Just what I needed. Another tribute. I turned, trying to spot them, but they were hidden. I sighed. Better to be killed by a human than these spiders.

Throwing caution to the wind, I called out to them. "Help me!"

Something silver caught my eye. I looked up, in time to see a silver parachute falling from the sky.

 _About time_!

Shaking off the spiders again, and trying to keep from collapsing, I reached up for it.

An arrow shot out of a tree, burying itself in the parachute, and stopping the gift, pinning it across the clearing, and well out of my reach. A hand reached from the branches, and snatched it.

"Help!" I called again.

Cold laughter answered my plea. And then the blond career girl appeared in the tree, smirking at me.

"Well. You're in a desperate situation, aren't you? I could help you out."

"What's your definition of help?" I snarled. I slashed at the spiders around me, but my arms were becoming sluggish. They were crawling up my legs now, swarming over me. I'd be swept under in minutes. Dead, in minutes.

"A quick arrow through the brain could do it," she shrugged. " _Or_ , I could save your life."

"Why would you do that?" I demanded, biting the inside of my lip. The sharp burst of pain helped me focus for a moment- long enough to shake the spiders free again. That didn't deter them for long- they kept coming.

"I told you. You'd make a strong ally. Agree to help me, and I'll save your life. It's a win-win, really. You'll join our pack. Do we have a deal? Or would you rather die?"

I tried to let out a defiant snarl, but it came out as more of a weak gurgle. I was losing. Dying. She had me exactly where she wanted me.

"Hurry," she smirked. "Those spiders will get you soon."

"I'm thinking!"

"Think fast. 5."

I locked my eyes shut. _No option_.

"4."

I opened my eyes. Black spots danced before my vision. My breathing quickened, as did my pulse.

"3. Do we have a deal, 12? You're fading fast."

The spiders had reached my chest now.

With my last breath, I spat, " _Deal_." Then blackness overcame my vision, and I collapsed.


	14. Nobody's Dead! So far

**Author's note: Well. This is interesting. I don't usually do two different perspectives in one chapter. Oh well. It's fun.  
I ended that last chapter on quite a cliffhanger, didn't I? Or _did_ I. Well, either way, here's the next chapter.**

 **LeikoHofferson: Yay! I'm glad you like it!  
Wow... little violent? Then again, this _is_ the Hunger Games.  
Anyways, here's the next chapter! Enjoy!**

 **Hiro's POV**

My head whipped around as the cannon went off. Ava and Jay's heads did as well. Instinctively, I looked to the sky. But we wouldn't see who it was until tonight.

"Do you think it's her?" Ava asked.

I turned to look at her. "No… it wouldn't be. She wouldn't die this early." I wasn't sure who I was really speaking to- her, or myself. _Could_ Gogo have been that tribute who had died? Or was it someone else?

"It would be better that way," she said softly.

"What?!" I turned on her. "What do you mean it would be _better_?!"

"You wouldn't have to kill her," Ava pointed out. "If she's dead, you won't have to be the one to hold the knife."

"Ava," Jay put a hand on her shoulder. She turned to face him, shrugging the hand off with an annoyed face. "Hiro's sister is too tough. Don't say things like that. She's gonna make it, and we'll find her and all have a party together!"

I snickered slightly at the thought, but Ava wasn't impressed.

"Jay, we've got to face the facts. This is the Hunger Games. Just because cottonhead here is sentimental doesn't mean you have to be. We're all going to die. Don't pretend we'll make it. Everything we do is just prolonging death. In the end, if his sister is dead, then… it's better. I'm sorry, but that's how it is."

She turned away, expression sad. I stared after her in disbelief.

"Real ray of sunshine, isn't she?"

Jay turned to look at me. All he said was, "Cottonhead?"

" _That's_ what got your attention about that speech? How about the 'we're just prolonging death' part? Or the 'if his sister is dead then it's better'?"

He flushed, looking away. "Hey, I'm sorry, man. But…" he cracked a smile. " _Cottonhead_?"

Subconsciously, I ran a hand through my hair. _It really is soft, isn't it._

I shook my head, smiling. "Well, it could be worse. At least she hasn't tried to kill us."

"She owes us," Jay replied. "She wouldn't."

I raised my eyebrows. "If you say so…"

Was Jay _really_ that trusting? On one hand, I really did want to believe that we could trust Ava. But on the other hand… by freeing her, we could just be opening ourselves up for a later attack. Honestly, I had no clue what to do.

I sighed, and turned to look at Ava. "I don't care what you think- we're going to the jungle to find my… sister. Whether you like it or not. Are you in, or out?"

A flash of doubt showed in her eyes. Then she sighed. "I'm in. But if you lead us into a death trap, don't expect me to hang around."

"Sure," I shrugged.

"Great!" Jay laughed. "We're off to find the freaky knife throwing sister…"

"Jay, shut up," Ava snapped.

He did, shaking his head with a grin. "This is going to be a _looong_ walk, isn't it."

 **Gogo's POV**

I woke up lying on the ground.

At first, I wondered if I was still in the clearing- or maybe dead. But no, that wasn't right. There were no trees above me- just blue sky.

I blinked, looking around. Off to my right, if I craned my neck, there was a pile of supplies. And the cornucopia. We were on the plateau in the center.

 _The careers. I'm in their camp._

I tried to move, but quickly discovered that my hands were tied together with a thick, coarse rope. My ankles were bound the same way. I couldn't move an inch.

With an irritated sigh, I studied myself. My ankles were covered in red welts from the spider bites, but other than that I was unharmed. Something had been put on them to flush out the poison then. That would be the only reason why I was alive.

There were footsteps, and a second later, a boy was crouching next to me. I think I'd seen his face before- district 1, maybe?

He saw my eyes were open, and turned away. "Lemon, she's awake!"

A moment later, the blond girl from 2- Lemon, _seriously?_ \- was sitting beside me. She smirked, as I glared at her.

"Explain what _this_ is for." I jerked my head at my bound hands.

"You don't know?" she laughed. "I thought you might get… ideas when you woke up. This is to ensure that you don't try to murder us all. Now that you're awake, I can get rid of the ropes- provided you don't act up."

I raised my eyebrows, and she laughed. "You really _are_ stubborn. I saved your life. I could torture or kill you right now. And you're still _not_ doing what I'm asking?"

"Call me stubborn."

She glared at me, and pulled a knife from a sheath at her belt. For a minute I thought she was going to kill me, but instead she just cut the ropes binding my ankles. She stood, pulling me to my feet with her.

"Come on," she said, her annoying smile returning. "I'll show you the camp."

There were five of them there. Both tributes from 2; the boy from 1; the mute boy from 10, who I wasn't sure why he was there; and the girl from 7. Both the boy from 1 and the girl from 7 were giving me murderous looks.

"What's their problem?"

Lemon laughed. "You don't know? You killed their district partners."

I raised my eyebrows. _I killed- right_. Both deaths flashed back into my mind. The boy who had tried to kill Jay with a spear. I'd killed him with a knife through the skull. And the girl who'd chased me. I'd killed her in the same way.

I looked around. There were five here. Then me, Hiro, and Jay. Which made eight. Eleven tributes were dead. So where were the other five?

As if reading my thoughts, Lemon started speaking. "The boy from 5 is still out there. So is the girl from 3, and both tributes from 9. Of course, there are also the tributes from 11, but they won't be much of a threat. And your little brother." She gave me an evil grin. "It's too bad we don't know where he is, huh?"

 _They don't know?_

I let out an involuntary breath of relief. If they couldn't find Hiro, that meant he was safe. At least- as safe as anyone could be in the Hunger Games.

There were rapid footsteps, and I turned to see the girl from 7 storm up to us. Her eyes were locked on mine, and her expression was murderous.

"What is _she_ doing here?!" she snarled to Lemon.

Lemon laughed. "New ally."

"She killed my district partner." In an instant, the girl had a hand axe out, and pointed at me. "Why didn't you just kill her?"

Lemon sighed, as if this was just a minor annoyance, not something that had my life hanging in the balance.

"She's a good shot with her knives. She's going to help us track down the other tributes, because if she doesn't, we're going to kill her little brother slowly and painfully in front of her. It'll be fun."

I rolled my eyes. _Fun. Is this_ really _just a game to her?_

The girl from 7 narrowed her eyes at me. "Don't try anything, 12, or the last thing you feel will be my axe in your skull. Understand?"

I replied sarcastically, which I can still pull off even when my hands are _still_ tied together- thanks a _lot_ Lemon. "You might want to take a ticket," I snapped. "You're not the only one who has me on your kill list."

"You think death is funny, 12?" she snarled right back at me. "You think this is just a game?! You're even more of an idiot than I thought you were."

"And so are you," I shoot back. "I'll remember you, 7. You've just made yourself a new enemy."

" _Terrifying_ ," she drawled. "Your hands are tied."

I glanced over at Lemon. "Do you have a knife on you?"

She paused, before shrugging. "Eh. Why not. This could be interesting." She unsheathed her knife, and handed it to me.

My first instinct was to kill the girl from 7, then take the knife and run it through Lemon. But that would be suicide. My hands _were_ still tied, and there were others in this camp as well. They'd get to me before I could escape. And besides, if I could lead them away from Hiro…

It took a minute to get a comfortable grip on the knife. My tied hands made it difficult, but I managed to get a proper grip on it. Then I raised it up to eye level, and threw.

The throw wasn't as good as my usual throws- Tadashi would have teased me for it- but it was good enough. The knife flew towards the pile of supplies, and embedded itself firmly in one of the boxes, in one of the larger cracks.

The girl from 7 reached up to touch her upper arm. The knife had passed within barely a centimeter of it. Her expression was one of complete shock.

"I can do _that_ with my hands tied," I smiled at her. "Now imagine that with my hands _untied_. I'd probably hit about ten inches to the left of that."

Subconsciously, her hand traced to the mentioned spot- right over her heart. She said nothing.

"Nice talking to you!" I added cheerfully. Lemon barely stifled a laugh behind me. We turned and kept walking.

"That was unnecessary," she remarked.

"No it wasn't."

"Why didn't you kill her?"

"Because then you would have killed me."

Lemon smirked. "Smart girl."

"I try."

We kept walking. I did my best to memorize the layout of their camp, and who was guarding what. I'd need to know this if I was going to escape. If I could even make it out of here alive.

"Alright!" Lemon said, breaking me out of my thoughts. "Let's go. Time to show us what you've got."

The career pack was grouping up around a tree, all looking our way. Most of them were smirking. _Great._

 _Here we go_.


End file.
